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Monday, June 3, 2013

Kensington Stone

There seem to be some obvious errors in the translation of the Kensington Stone. By obvious, I mean obvious to me. No one else apparently, ever considers that some words might be Gothic. The most important word of the first sentence is illegible, not blank. Eight Goths and Twenty-two Northmen at ???o.  The word, "ok", means the conjunction, "and". Therefore, "ōg" must mean "I fear" as in Gothic. I can't see why people would translate both as "and". Likewise, I don't see both "weþ" and "we" meaning "by".  I think  "weþ" means "with". Likewise, "from" could also be Gothic meaning "from" and "fro" could mean "fro" as in "to and fro".  Likewise,  Göter could mean Goths, but means Geats according to the Swedes.  I think þags is the genitive case and þagh means a day considered as a span of time, which derives from:
agh-


A day (considered as a span of time). Oldest form *ag̑h-, becoming *agh- in centum languages. day is from Old English dæg, day;



This is a transliteration of the stone:[1]
 8 : göter : ok : 22 : norrmen : po :
 ???o : opþagelsefarþ : fro :
 winlanþ : of : west : wi :
 haþe : läger : weþ : 2 : skjar : en :
 þags : rise : norr : fro : þeno : sten :
 wi : war : ok : fiske : en : þagh :
 äptir : wi : kom : hem : fan : 10 : man : röþe
 af : bloþ : og : þeþ : AVM :
 fräelse : af : illy :

The lateral (or side) text reads:[1]
här : 10 : mans : we : hawet : at : se:
äptir : wore : skip : 14 : þagh : rise :
from : þeno : öh : ahr : 1362

Here is my translation:


Eight Goths and twenty-two Northmen in the midst of stream discovery-journey going from Vinland due west. We had camped with two shelters one daytime's travel north this stone. We went and fish one day (span of time). After we come home,  found ten red men out of blood.  Foul deed.  AVM.  Deliver out of evil. 




There are ten seamen from the sea to look after our ships,  fourteen days (span of time) travel by this stream. Year of our Lord 1362. 


There are many translations, but mine is unique in many ways. 


Göter = old norse corruption of Gutþiuda meaning Goths

Norr = north

men = men

ok = and

po = "in the midst of"

fro = "going from" as in "to and fro"

winlanþ = the Viking name for New Foundland. In Leif Erikson's time it was warm enough to grow grapes.

"of  west" = "due west" or westward

wi = we

haþe =had or the past plural tense of have

läger = lair or camp

weþ = with

skjar = shelters

en = one or "a"

þags = daytime's as opposed to þagh which is a 24 hour span of time

rise = race or travel

þeno = this

sten = stone

war : ok : fiske = past tense of "go and fish"

äptir = after

kom  = come

hem = "to home"

fan = (one) found

man : röþe = plural of redman or redmen

af = out of

bloþ = blood

ōg = (I) fear

 þeþ = deed

AVM = Hail Mary

"fräelse : af : illy" = quote from the Lord's Prayer

hawet = (of) the sea

 ōh = stream (as a means of travel)

ahr = abbreviation for "year of our Lord"


Everyone else seems to think that "ōg" means "and" and "ōh" means "island" while I hold to the very dubious view that "ōh" means "å" and "ōg" means "I fear".  It could be that "þeþ" means deed rather than death if it is Gothic. Then "ōg : þeþ" would mean "Foul Deed", the opposite of "Waila : þeþ". 


Any ideas on a more accurate translation would be appreciated.


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